Temperature controlled compressor for electrical energy savings in enclosed room cooling

ABSTRACT

An electrical energy use saving system for the sales of purchasable amounts of beer, soda, bottled water, meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, eggs or seafood products kept in a walk-in cooler, reach-in cooler or display case whose temperature is to be maintained includes a compressor, a thermostat, a suction fan and a thermometer in a network by which the cooler or case is cooled by outdoors ambient air when outside temperatures are cold and where the cooler or case is cooled by the compressor when outside temperatures are warm.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

NONE

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Research and development of this invention and Application have not beenfederally sponsored, and no rights are given under any Federal program.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

NOT APPLICABLE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to the commercial cooling and refrigerationsystems found in such food and beverage stores as supermarkets,convenience stores and liquor stores. In general, the invention concernsitself with the equipment used in these stores as walk-in coolers,reach-in coolers, freezers and refrigerators—whether used forrefrigerating 6 or 12 packs of beer, canned soda or bottle water, or formeat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, eggs or seafood products, for example.

2. Description of the Related Art

Food and beverage retail stores such as supermarkets, convenience storesand liquor stores are equipped with several types of refrigerators andcoolers in order to keep their products cold and fresh.

As is known and understood, electrical compressors are used to keepthese refrigerator/coolers at regulated temperatures—typically 40° F. Assuch, whether the remainder of the store or market is being heated inthe winter, or air-conditioned in the summer, a continuous amount ofelectrical energy is required to maintain these regulatedrefrigerator/cooler temperatures all year round. As will be understood,the costs for this electrical cooling ranges from hundreds to thousandsof dollars each month depending upon the size of the facility where thetemperature is being so controlled.

Moreover, such food stores as supermarkets and convenience storescurrently employ complicated systems consuming huge amounts ofelectricity to operate the various coolers, freezers and refrigeratorsemployed there. Typically, such systems include a rooftop unitcontaining numbers of compressors which pressurize the freon enclosedpiping to reduce the temperatures in the refrigerator units to thatwhich is desired. Besides this inordinate use of electricity (not onlyin the United States but globally, as well, extensive amounts of freonare employed, which studies indicate is harmful to the ozone layer. Suchsystems, furthermore, are extremely expensive, both as to their purchaseand as to their required maintenance.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide animproved way for the controlled cooling of all these type enclosures toreduce electrical energy usage as a component of reducing overall energyconsumption throughout the world.

It is an object of the present invention, also, to provide this improvedway of controlled cooling to reduce the electrical energy cost of thestore provider—whether it just be that of the convenience storefacility, or that of a grocery store or supermarket operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide this improved way ofcontrolled cooling which can be adapted both to existing in-placeoperations as well as to future operations yet to be constructed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved way ofcooling the refrigerators in these commercial settings using a minimumamount of electricity, while at the same time, operating in anenvironmentally safe manner.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As a reading of the following description will indicate, this inventionis concerned with one of the most critical issues in modern daytimes—that of energy conservation and saving the environment. While itis almost equally as important to consider the financial savings to aretailer that may follow, and to the consumer of perishable goods, toappreciate the advantages that follow, certain definitions might behelpful:

a. Food Store—a supermarket, liquor store, convenience store orperishable goods warehouse;

b. Rooftop Unit—machine equipment on a food store roof consisting of oneor a number of compressors which pressurize freon in producing the coldtemperatures required, and which push them through the coolers to reachthe desired temperatures;

c. Walk-in Cooler—a room of various size built from aluminum orgalvanized steel, and having inner and outer skin walls between whichinsulation is packed as used in the storage of perishable goods;

d. Reach-in Cooler—similar to the walk-in cooler, but with glass doorsso that a consumer can open and reach in to grasp food or beverages onits shelves;

e. Display Case—employed in the food stores to display vegetables,fruit, meat and seafood items, keeping them cool and fresh; and

f. Thermostat—a mechanical or electronic device to measure temperatureand connect or disconnect an electrical circuit.

As will become clear from the following description, the presentinvention specifically covers an electrical energy use saving system forcooling by automatically controlling the operation of the electricallyoperated compressor(s) serving to maintain the temperature in thewalk-in or reach-in cooler or display case within a predeterminedrange—for example, one centered substantially about 40° F. According tothe invention, a suction device (such as a fan, valve or air pump) iscoupled with the outdoors outside environment by an input end of a ductand to the inside of the cooler or case by an output end of the duct. Athermometer is provided for measuring the ambient air temperature in theoutdoors outside environment, and a thermostat is coupled with thethermometer to activate the compressor(s) only when the outdoors ambientair temperature rises above the controlled cooler or case temperaturerange to be maintained.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the walk-in orreach-in cooler and display case thus become cooled by the outdoors airwhen the outside temperatures are cold, while the cooler and case arecooled by the compressor only when the outside temperature is warm. Theend result will be appreciated to be a savings in the use of electricalenergy for the cooling—which could be quite substantial when the coolerand case are part of a food store complex in the northern portions ofthe United States and in Canada where, for at least 6 months of theyear, the outdoors temperature dips below 40° F. As will be understood,the cost involved in operating the ducted fan is several times less thanthat involved with operating the compressor—such that in those coldermonths, a significant savings in electrical energy consumption follows.Obviously, this translates into a cost savings for the store operator.

As will also become clear from the following description, where localordinances may require—or just for purposes of general health—thesuction device can be arranged to operate in conjunction with either afiltering or dehumidifying system (or both) in further regulating thecolder air being inputted to the walk-in or reach-in cooler and thedisplay case from the outdoors environment. For existing storeconstructions, furthermore, the suction device configuration could bearranged to extend through the walls of the cooler—while in newconstructions to be built, the suction fan could be incorporated as partof a mounting on a rooftop of a walk-in cooler room, just as theelectrically operated compressors are typically already mounted on thefood stores roof.

And, as will be appreciated, the same type of controlled cooling will beseen to be employable for produce coolers (where the preferredtemperature range is commonly centered about 55° F.), and for freezers(where the temperature is desired to be kept below 32° F.). In theseuses, the suction device would bring in the ambient air where theoutside temperature falls below 55° F. on the one hand, and 32° F. onthe other hand. With the use of additional thermostats set in this andlike manners, the roof top compressor(s) could be controlled to providethe refrigerant only when it is needed, and to where it is needed,depending upon the outside temperature. The energy consumption savingswill be seen to be apparent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

These and other features of the present invention will be more clearlyunderstood from a consideration of the following description, taken inconnection with FIGS. 1 and 2 of the Drawings which schematicallyillustrate the electrical energy use savings system of the invention fora walk-in cooler, and for a walk-in cooler, reach-in cooler, and displaycase combination, respectively.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference numeral 10 in FIG. 1 represents an enclosed walk-in coolerroom of a food store 15 housing purchasable amounts of beer, soda,bottled water, fruit or vegetable produce for off-site consumption.Constructed with inner metal or aluminum skin walls 12, outer skin walls14 of like fabrication, and with a foam insulate 16 in between, thecooler 10 is enclosed within the store 15 having a rooftop 18 upon whichan electrically operated compressor 20 conventionally is mounted. Suchcompressor is selected of a size and capacity to maintain thetemperature in the cooler within a predetermined range—which for theusage at hand may be centered substantially about 40° F. A door 22allows entry into and exit from the cooler. In most present day usage,the compressor operates continuously on electrical energy drawn fromabove ground or below ground power lines.

In accordance with the invention, a suction device 24 is provided withina duct 26 having an input end 28 at an outdoors outside environmentlocation of the walk-in cooler and an output end 30 at an insidelocation. For an existing construction of the cooler, the duct 26 may becut through the inner and outer skin walls 12, 14, while in newconstructions, the duct 26 may be mounted on the rooftop 18 in a mannersimilar to that by which the compressor 20 is mounted.

To carry out the teachings of the invention, a thermometer means 40temperature measuring device is provided to couple with the suction fan24 as through electrical line 42 and to a thermostat means or thermostat44 as by electrical line 46. Such thermostat, in turn, is coupled by theelectrical line 48 to the compressor in regulating the operation of thecompressor in accordance with the outdoors ambient air temperature. Inparticular, the thermostat 44 is set so that the compressor 20 is notactivated until the outdoors ambient temperature is in excess of thedesired temperature in the walk-in cooler, some 40° F. At the same time,the suction device 24 is controlled to operate only when the outdoorsambient temperature is below that 40° F. or so temperature.

As will be understood, the end result of the operation is that thewalk-in room 10 is then cooled by the outdoors outside air when thetemperatures in the ambient environment are measured to be below the 40°F. or so temperature, while the walk-in room 10 is cooled by thecompressor 20 substantially only when the outdoors ambient temperatureis measured to be in excess of the 40° F. or so temperature. The endresult will be appreciated to be a savings in the electrical energyusage in those circumstances where the energy needed to operate thesuction fan is less than that needed to operate the compressor (whichalmost always is the actual circumstance). Such savings in electricalenergy usage will be appreciated as being directly translatable into asavings of electrical utility cost for the convenience store, groceryand supermarket operator of the walk-in room where the refrigeratedproducts are housed, with the significant savings in cost expenditureswhich result.

Reference numerals 50 and 52 respectively illustrate added options forthe electrical energy use saving system in the nature of a filter systemand a dehumidifier system where possibly required by local ordinance, orjust where further issues of health are of concern. As illustrated,these options could be included to work with the ductwork operable withthe suction fan inputting the outdoors outside ambient air as thecoolant. As will be understandable, these options can be utilizedsingly, or in combination.

In operation, then, if the temperature inside the walk-in cooler 10exceeds that which is desired (for example, 40° F.) the electric circuitcloses under the action of the thermostat 44. With this in place, thesuction fan 24 is actuated to bring in the outside air where thethermometer measures the outside temperature to be below 40° F. When theducted-in outside air is sufficient to cool the walk-in room to thattemperature, the suction fan is turned off. Where the outsidetemperature, however, is higher than that temperature desired to bemaintained in the walk-in cooler 10, the suction fan 24 is bypassed, andthe compressor 20 is rendered operative. The refrigerant then drawn intothe cooler 10, as by means of a further duct 60, continues to cool theroom until the desired temperature is reestablished, at which time thecompressor shuts down. An exhaust duct for the cooler 10 is shown at 68.

The schematic diagram of FIG. 2 represents a similar type operationutilizing outside air as a coolant for a walk-in cooler 80, a reach-incooler 82 and a display case 84. Each component would be provided withits own thermometer and thermostat connectable with the rooftopcompressor 20 to utilize the outside air in providing the coolingthrough the ducts 86, 88, 90 under control of the suction device 92 asthe case may be when the ambient air is to engage in the cooling, whilethe ductworks 95, 97, 99 provide the refrigerant directly from thecompressor when the outside temperatures are higher than that desired inthe cooler or display units. Depending on need, one or more suchcompressor units might be employable, each maintained on the roof of thefood store, as at 100, with an outside thermostat 102 controlling thesuction fan 92 as well as via an electric line 104.

While there has been described what are considered to be preferredembodiments of the present invention, it will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art that modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope of the teachings herein. Thus, whereas the present inventionhas been described in the context of keeping purchasable amounts ofbeer, soda, bottled water, fruit or vegetable produce in an enclosedenvironment maintained at temperatures centered substantially about 40°F., 55° F., or 32° F., the thermostat control for the compressor(s) 20could be set to operate at other temperatures in an identicalmanner—depending upon the temperature that is sought to be maintained incooling the purchasable products that are to housed within. For anincreased energy use savings, for example, the control could be such asto activate the compressor only when outdoors, outside ambienttemperatures exceed even higher levels, for example. Essentially then,the commercial cooling system of the invention operates such that if thetemperature inside the walk-in cooler, the reach-in cooler, the displaycase, or the food store is higher than that which is pre-set, theelectrical circuit triggers the suction device to draw the air fromoutside, pushing it through the piping or ductwork until the coolerreaches that temperature. In other words, the rooftop compressors willonly work if the outside temperature is higher than that desired. Inthose geographical areas of the world where the temperature is below 40°F., or 55° F., or 32° F., for example, the cooling will then beaccomplished by the outside air—day or night—and the savings in theelectrical energy otherwise needed would be substantial. Moreover, ifthe rooftop unit would then work only half the time or less, its lifeexpectancy will double, and the maintenance required cut in half. Freonusage decreases, benefiting the environment and the ozone layer. The airgoing through the suction device possibly being filtered, and/ordehumidified, if need be, the end result in operating thecooler—wherever it may be and whatever form it may take, wouldnecessitate only a minimum amount of energy, resulting in an overallsignificant savings in the energy which is used. Simply stated, theinvention then allows utilization of cold air in the northern portion ofthe globe to cool food and beverages in food stores by drawing the coldair from outside, and pushing it through piping or duct into the varioustypes of refrigerator/coolers, without the need to run the compressorsto cool these units. For at least these reasons, resort should be had tothe claims appended hereto for a true understanding of the scope of theinvention.

1. An electrical energy use savings system for product coolingcomprising: a walk-in cooler, a reach-in cooler or a display casehousing purchasable amounts of beer, soda, bottled water, fruit orvegetable produce for off-site consumption; an electrically operatedcompressor coupled to maintain the temperature in the cooler or casewithin a predetermined range; thermometer means for measuring ambientair temperature outdoors in an environment outside the cooler or case; asuction fan ducted at an input end to the outside outdoors environmentand at an output end to the inside of the cooler or case; and thermostatmeans coupled with said thermometer means for activating the compressorwhen both the temperature within the cooler or case and the ambient airoutdoor temperature rise above the controlled range to be maintained andfor activating the suction fan when both the temperature within thecooler or case rises above the controlled range to be maintained and theambient air outdoor temperature falls below the controlled range to bemaintained; whereby the cooler or case is cooled by outdoors air whenoutdoor temperatures are cold and whereby the cooler or case is cooledby the compressor when outdoor temperatures are warm.
 2. The electricalenergy use saving system of claim 1, also including means for filteringthe outdoors ambient air ducted into the cooler or case when the suctionfan is activated.
 3. The electrical energy use saving system of claim 1,also including means for dehumidifying the outdoors ambient air ductedinto the cooler or case when the suction fan is activated.
 4. Theelectrical energy use saving system of claim 1, also including means forfiltering and dehumidifying the outdoors ambient air ducted into thecooler or case when the suction fan is activated.
 5. The electricalenergy use savings system of claim 1 wherein said compressor,thermometer means, suction fan and thermostat means maintain thetemperature within a walk-in cooler at substantially 40° F.
 6. Theelectrical energy use savings system of claim 1 wherein said compressor,thermometer means, suction fan and thermostat means maintain thetemperature within a reach-in cooler and display case at substantially55° F.
 7. The electrical energy use saving system of claim 1 wherein theelectrically operated compressor is mounted on the rooftop of a foodstore in which the walk-in cooler, reach-in cooler or display case islocated.
 8. The electrical energy use saving system of claim 7 whereinthe suction fan is also mounted on the rooftop of the food store.